Method of and apparatus for producing curvilinear fabrics



March 30 1926. "1,578,447

' O. s. LAWTON METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CURVILINBAR FABRICSFiled Sept-17, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

March 30 1926. 4 11,578,447 O. S. LAWTON METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FORPRODUCING CURVILINEAR FABRICS Filed Sept. 17, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

March 30 1926.

- r 0. s. LAWTON METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CURVILINERFABRICS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 17'. 1921 Fag. 3.

INVENTOR 7 L I ATTORNEY.

March 30 1926. 1,578,447 0. s. LAWTON METHOD OF AND AIPARATUS FORPRODUCING CURVILINEAR FABRICS f INVENTOR.

I Q I 12.

A TT ORNE Y.

Patented Mar. 30, 1926.

- UNITED STATES v v 1,578,447 P NT- OFFICE.

OSCAR S. LAWTON', OF NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRDTO I ARTHUR L. OLEARY, OE FAIBHAVEN, MASSACHUSETTS, AND ONE-THIRD T0HAROLD W. OLEARY, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CURVILINEAR FABRICS.

Application filed September 17, 1921. .Serial No. 501,435.

To all whom it may con-0cm:

Be it known that I, OSCAR S. LAWTON, a citizen of the United States,residing in New Bedford, in the county of Middlesev and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Methods of and Apparatusfor Producing Curvilinear Fabrics, of which the following description,in con.- nection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, likecharacters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a novel method of and apparatus for producingcurvilinear fabric of superior quality and having a smooth and uniformtexture.

The curvilinear fabric is produced with a loom having a tapering take-uproll, by arranging the warp threads before they are fed into the loom,in a predetermined relation to one another so as to 'establish' betweenthe number of warp threads on opposite'sides of their center a ratiocorresponding to the ratio between the diameters of the take-up roll onopposite sides of. its center, and maintaining said'warp threads in saidestablished arrangement and under the same tension while passing throughthe loom. i

The method of producing the improved curvilinear fabric may be practicedin a number of ways, and in the present instance I have illustrated asimple, highly efficient and comparatively inexpensive apparatus, aswill be described, with which the improved fabric may be produced at aminimum cost.

These and other features of this invention will'be pointed out in theclaims at the beam.

Fig. 5, a diagrammatic View showingthe concentricarrangement of the warpthreads in the improved fabric.

Fig. 6 is a like view of the improved fabric.

Fig. 7 ..a .,diagram1natic view to illus? t atethe un q l l g hs. of wrphreads,

the apparently straight fabric and the curvilinear fabric.

Fig. 8, a sectional view of a warping apparatus upon which the taperingwarp shown in-Figs. 1 and 3 may be produced, and

Fig. 9, an end view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 8 looking toward theleft.

Referring to the drawing and particularly Figs. 5, (3 and 7, (1.represents the improved curvilinear fabric composed of warp threads,represented in Figs. 5 and (3 by the continuous curved lines and afiller represented in Fig. lines a. The warp threads I) in the improvedi'abric are under the same tension and are concentrically arranged, asclearly represented in Figs. 5 and 6, which results in a superiorcurvilinear fabric in that the fabric is of uniform and greater strengththroughout its length and width and possesses a smooth surface free fromirregularities, and is capable of being produced at. a minlmum cost.

The improved curvilinear fabric ct may be produced on a loom .ofordinary or standard construction, by feeding into and out of the loomunequal lengths of warp threads 6 in predetermined definite arrangementand subjecting all of the warp threads'to the same tension andmantaining them under the same tension while passing through the loom.

In Fig. 1 is shown a loom d upon which the improved curvilinear. fabrica; may be produced. The loom dis in the main of ordinary or. knownconstruction, except-as will now be pointed out. The loom is provided atits rearend with tapered spools or rolls 10, see Fig. 4, upon which thewarp threads 6 are woundin predetermined definite unequal lengths toform tapered beams l of ar threads, see Fig. 3, in which said threadsvary in length uniformly from the end of largest diameter totheend ofsmallest diameter. The. tapered beams 12 of warp threads will behereinafter designated tapered warps.

The loom d is further provided at its front end with a taperingtake-up'roll 14, which has the same or substantially the same ratio ofdiameters at opposite sides of its'center as the ratio of the extremediameters of theiwarp beamslO, and is arranged 6 by the "broken parallelwith the tapered warp beams; that .is, with its taper running in thesame direction as the taper of the warp beams 10., The tapered take-uproll 14 is journaled in brackets or arms 15 attached to the framework ofthe loom and only one of which is herein shown, and said take-up rollhas cooperating with ita cylindrical receiving roll 16 upon which thecurvilinear fabric a, is wound, and a'cylindrical presser roll 17,

which is interposed between the take-up roll 14 and the receiving roll16. The loom 03 forms a fabric 18 apparently straight while undertension (see Fig. 7), which passes around the tapered take-up roll 14,over the presser 17 and under and about'the revceiving roll 16 asindicated in Figs. 1 and .loom.

crossbar 123 having an upright arm 24,

2, and after passing by the tapered take-up roll 14, said apparentlystraight fabric assumes the true or desired shape of the curvilinearfabric a. The presser roll 17 is mounted in levers or arms 20 pivotallymounted in hangers 22 attached to a stationary portion 23 of theframework of the The levers 20 areconnec'ted by a be driven thereby,by'the spring 26, whose tension or. pressure can be regulated ordetermined by adjusting the screw 25 by means of the nut 30 thereon.

The presser roll 17 is arranged with its axis parallel with the taperedsurface of the take-up roll 14, (see Fig. 2),-so as to place the wovenfabric a in contact with the takeup roll throughout the width of thesaid fabric. v v

The receiving rolI16 upon which the woven fabric a is wound, is arrangedwith its axis parallel'to the tapered surface of the take-up roll, andas said receiving roll 13 located below the axis of said take-up roll,

itsaxis is inclined in the o posite direction to that in which the axisof the presser roll is inclined, as shownin Fig. 2.

In weaving a plain curvilinear fabric, the

' warp threads on the side of the fabric which subjectingall of the warpthreads to the .up roll 14. By feeding is of a curvature of-smallerradius are drawn ,ofi' slower than those warp threads on the side of thefabric which is of a curva-v ture of greater radius, and this iseffected 1n the present Instance by the tapered takeinto the loom sothat they are of definitely unequal lengths corresponding to the taperof the take-up roll, and by maintaining said definite arrangement ofunequal lengths'by same tension, a superior curvilinear fabric 15produced in which all of the warp threads the warp threads' thereof areconcentrically arranged, which results not only in a curvilinear fabricof superior quality which is 06 increased strength and durability, andis smooth and uniform in texture, but also one which can be produced ata minimum cost.- The feeding of the warp threads of definite unequallengths corresponding to the taper of the take-up roll, is provided forin the present instance by supplying the warp threads from the taperedwarps 12, each of which is formed by winding the warp threads on thetapered roll 10, whose ratio of diameters corresponds to that of thetake-up roll. The winding of the warp threads upon the tapered roll 10may be effected -with the apparatusshown in'Figs. 8 and 9, wherein thetapered roll 10 is mounted on a shaft 32 which is rotated in anysuitable manner and has cooperating with it a fan reed 33, which isconstructed and arranged so that the volume of threads on one side inrelation to the volume ofthreads on the other side of said reed willcorrespond in ratio to the two sides of the tapered warp roll 10 andthere- 4 tapered takefore to the two sides of the up-roll 14.

In the present instance, the fan reed 33 is secured to a frame capableof being tilted with relation to the tapered roll 10, by

means of the adjusting screws 34 extended through lugs 35 on the sides36 of the said frame, which sides are provided with slots The taperingroll 10 has cooperating with it rollers 42, 43, loosely mounted onlevers 44, 45, pivoted to lugs or cars 46, 47 attached to the top crossbar 48 of the reed frame and bearing upon the opposite ends of thetapered roll 10. i

The rollers 42, 43 are of different diameters, and the ratio between thediameters of the two rollers is the same as the ratio between the twoends of the warp roll or drum 10. The rolls 42, 43 are operativelyconnected with countermechanisms 50, 51, which serve to indicate thenumber of revolutions made by the rollers while the tapered warp 12 isbeing wound upon the drum theoperator, that the ratio is not beingmaintained, which enables him to rectify the same by tiltingthe "fanreed the construction of the curvlllnear fabrle a are placed on the 10,all the warp y means of he adjusting screw 34 as above f "same definiterelation, by the take-up roll.

In the present instance and as shown in Fig. 1, two tapered warpbeamsmarked 10 are shown, each having thereon, a tapered warp 12. The upperwarp beam is represented as supported by astationary portion of theframework and has thereon the tapered warp which may be designated thebinder warp.

The lower warp beam 10 is also supported in a stationary portion of theframework and its tapered warp constitutes the body warp of the fabric,and this warp is passed about rollers mounted in the arms of a lever 50pivoted at 51 to the stationary framework, and the lever 50 hassuspended from it a weight or weights 52' which imparts to the body warpthe tension desired.

In the case of the upper orbinder warp,

the desired tension may be obtained as herein shown by the weight, of'the warp beam itself. It will thus be seen that the warp threads areplaced under the desired tension, and this desired tension for each warpis uniform and is maintained uniform while the warps are being fed intoand out of the loom by the relation above set forth between thetaperedwarps and the tapered take-u roll.

By reason of the fact that a l of the warp threads in the improvedfabric are of uni-' form tension, they are of uniform diameter, and as aresult the cloth produced is of uniform thickness and texturethroughout.

It may be preferred to employ the apparatus herein shown for producingthe improved curvilinear fabric by the method herein described, but it'is not desired to limit the invention in: this respect.

The warp herein described and the apparatus and method for making thesame are not herein claimed, as they form the subject-matter'of anotherapplication Serial No. 652,092 filed by me July 17 1923.

Claims: 7

1. The method of making a curvilinear fabric with a loomhaving a taperedtake-up roll, which consists in arranging the warp threads before theyare fed into theloom in a predetermined relation to one another to forma tapered warp of material thickness and so as to establish between thenumber of warp threads on opposite sides r the center of said taperedwarp a ratio corresponding to the ratio between-the diameters of thetake-up roll on opposite sides of its center, and maintaining said warpthreads in said established arrangement and under the same tension whilepassing through the loom.

2. The method of making a curvilinear fabric with a loom having atapered takeup roll, which consists in winding upon a warp beam atapered warp of material thickness whose threads on opposite sides ofthe center of said warp beam have a ratio to each other whichcorresponds to the] ration between thediameters of the take-- up roll onopposite sides of its center, feedmg the warp threads from said warpbeam into and through the loom andmaintaining said warp-threads in thesame definite arrangement and under the same tension by said take-uproll.

3. The combination with a loom, of a tapered take-up roll located at oneend of the loom, and a warp beam located at the opposite end of the loomand having thereon a tapered warp of material thickness composed ofthreads wound thereon so as to have a definite ratio between the numberof threads on the opposite ends or sides of the tapering warpcorresponding with the ratio between the diameters of the take-up rollon opposite sides of its center.

4. The combination with a loom, of a tapered warp beam located at oneend of the loom and a tapered take-up roll located at the opposite endof the loom and having substantiall the same ratio of diameters atopposite si es of its center as the ratio of the extreme diameters ofthe tapered warp beam, the latter having thereon warp threads whosenumbers on opposite sides or ends of the tapered war beam form a taperedwarp of material thickness and have a definite ratio which correspondswith the ratio between the diameters of the take-up roll on oppositesides of its center.

5. The combination with 'a loom of a taperedbeam of warp threads havingthereon a tapered warp of material thickness whose volume of threadsvaries progressively from: the small to the large end thereof and insubstantially the same ratio as the diameters of the tapered beam varyfrom the small to the large end thereof and from which warp threads ofdefinite unequal lengths are supplied to the loom, a tapered take-uproll conforming in taper to the tapered which the woven fabric producedin the loom is passed to impart the curvature desired and means forsubjecting the warp threads to the same tension, while passing throughthe loom. V

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

OSCAR S. LAWTON.

120, beam of warp threads and about I

